1909.] Notes on Insect, Fungus, and other Pests. 295 



The Bulb Mite (Rhizoglyphus echinopus). — During the 

 winter of 1908-9 the Board received several letters from corre- 

 spondents who were much troubled with 



Notes on Insect, the bulb mite (Leaflet No. 136). Un- 

 Fungtis, and other fortunately, no definite results could 

 Pests, be arrived at in most cases, but the 



following observations of one large 

 grower in Ireland are worth recording. A number of bulbs, 

 taken out of pots, with the soil adhering, from districts 

 in England where eelworm and mite abound, were treated 

 with Vaporite and Apterite. The correspondent writes : 

 " I find that either of these pest-destroyers, if very lightly 

 powdered over a scale of a bulb affected with these 

 most pernicious pests, will kill all in a short time. 

 I examined one scale the other day, and found under the 

 microscope that the scale had on it 51 adult mites, and 

 many small ones, and 7 eelworms. I then powdered it as 

 lightly as possible, not to interfere with my view of the pests, 

 and found that the eelworms died in a few moments, the 

 mites within one hour. I had some of the mites, before they 

 were quite dead, placed on a piece of paper under the micro- 

 scope, to see if they would recover when removed from the 

 effect of the Apterite, but they all died. I tried some of the 

 infested bulbs in water, about a soup-plate full, with half a 

 teaspoonful of Apterite, and the mites were dead or dying 

 after 24 hours' immersion. 1 placed a growing narcissus 

 bulb (perfectly healthy) in a similar mixture of water and 

 Apterite for the same length of time, and then planted it in 

 the open ground from which I had taken it. It has been 

 absolutely uninjured, from which I infer, as from some other 

 similar experiments, that the Apterite and Vaporite are quite 

 harmless to bulbs in the growing stage." This observation 

 is interesting, and might with advantage be confirmed ex- 

 perimentally by English growers. 



The Narcissus Fly. — The value of annihilative measures 

 in the case of the destructive maggots of the Narcissus 

 Fly (Merodon equestris) is proved by the experience of the 

 grower already quoted. Four or five years ago Merodon 

 proved a great pest in narcissus bulbs. The practice was 



